Thursday 11 October 2007
Sportsman and Daemonic Interventions
A few days back Dave placed a very interesting posting with regard to playing football and suddenly acquiring unknown skills. In my reply I commented about the concept of being in the "zone". Synchronpidity again raised its head today. I was doing some general research when I came across a book called "The Psychic Side of Sport" by Michael Murphy and Rhea H. White. Published in 1978 this book cites many fascinating examples of what I would term Daemonic Interventions. For example when Pele first appeared in a World Cup match in 1958 he played the entire game in "kind of trance, as if the future was unfolding him before his own disinterested eyes". Roger Bannister described how he ran the first sub-four-minute mile an a trancelike state - "I felt complete detachment". Of course the classic was Bob Beamon's world record long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. On trying to explain what happened Beamon has always insisted that for those few seconds time slowed down for him and he felt detached between "time and space"
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I've played basketball for my county before and used to play a lot (until the tides of "alcohol" came washing in). There were numerous times when you know before you've even shot wether or not it has gone in or not. Yes a lot of that has to do with technique but i'm talking about hook shots from the half way line and ridiculously difficult shots that you wouldn't normaly make.
A film that deals with this brilliantly (you people will quickly realise i'm a complete film whore) is "The legend of bagger Vance" A golf film where there is a perfect shot on every green. This argueably runs into multiple world theory also but as a basketball player i've encountered it several times. It just "feels right" and your body embraces it. In the zone is over used by commentators in the NBA these days but several players really went there a few times. Michael Jordan In (well most games but particularly) game 2 against portland in the NBA finals can be seen shaking his head and holding his head up in confusion as he hits 3 pointer after 3 pointer.
I threw a hook shot once in a outside court from nearly the othe end and got it in. Everyone was amazed and some completely arrogant little guy started getting in my face telling me i'll bet you £20 you can't do that again...
Felt right - Swish = Ching Ching!!
Martin Huxter.
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